


I’ve liked you for awhile now

by mariuspondmercy



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-04
Updated: 2017-06-04
Packaged: 2018-11-08 17:57:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11086920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariuspondmercy/pseuds/mariuspondmercy
Summary: What they had was nice. No commitment, just pure pleasure and arousal. It was incredibly, Jehan wasn’t gonna lie. The things Montparnasse could do with his tongue? Well, if it were up to Jehan, they could continue their not-quite-thing indefinitely.





	I’ve liked you for awhile now

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Opium_du_Peuple](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Opium_du_Peuple/gifts).



> So this was only supposed to be a prompt and then it got out of hand and so long that it was worth cross-posting it to Ao3 and tumblr.

Jehan stretched lazily, rumpling the sheets even more than they had last night. They blinked their eyes open, fighting against the blinding sun. They could feel their muscles, knew the burning had one quite specific reason: Montparnasse. It was a lovely reason indeed. An uncertain one, but a lovely one. They were… something. Not really a couple, not really exclusive or in love, but more than a booty call. At least Jehan hoped so.

God, they liked Montparnasse. They’d only told Grantaire and Éponine about him and neither was too happy about that. Jehan wasn’t stupid, of course they knew of Montparnasse’s reputation and the reality of his life, about the criminal activities and the prison sentence. They maybe knew more than Montparnasse anticipated.

The comfort of their own flat enveloping them, Jehan yawned and snuggled back into the pillow, ginger hair splayed out around them. From far off, Montparnasse’s voice carried through the flat, a little hushed, as if he were trying to keep whatever he was saying secret.

Jehan didn’t really care. They weren’t an item, Montparnasse was allowed to have secrets. Montparnasse would be allowed to have secrets even if they were a thing. What they had was nice. No commitment, just pure pleasure and arousal. It was incredibly, Jehan wasn’t gonna lie. The things Montparnasse could do with his tongue? Well, if it were up to Jehan, they could continue their not-quite-thing indefinitely.

After a few more blissful moments in bed, Jehan started to crave their morning tea (and maybe a morning blowjob? They’d see about that, depending on what Montparnasse had planned). Jehan was nearly out of the door when they caught a few glimpses of the conversation.

“I’ve liked you for awhile now,” Montparnasse whispered. “Maybe more than I dare admit. I… shit, I gotta go, I think they’re awake.”

Jehan cursed softly, having stepped on one of their cat’s squeaky toy. They were still far away enough to pretend they hadn’t heard a thing.

“Jehan?” Montparnasse called out.

“Just woke up,” they answered and rounded the corner.

Montparnasse was leaning against the counter in the kitchen, cup of coffee in one and phone in the other hand. “Babet just called, I gotta head off in a bit. I’ll call you later?”

“Sure,” Jehan shrugged their shoulders.

It wasn’t like they were a couple, so… Still, somehow it had stung. Montparnasse could’ve just told them he’d called someone he liked. Jehan would like to at least be prepared for the end. Honesty was incredibly important. Communication, especially with what they had or didn’t have was vital. Maybe it was still a new thing for Parnasse and he didn’t want to jinx it just yet.

Montparnasse smirked and set down his phone and mug before beckoning Jehan closer to him. “I still have a little time and I seem to recall that you’re quite fond of lazy mornings with a twist?”

They hadn’t been doing this for long, their – call it affair. Half a year, tops. Staying overnight was incredibly new; in fact, Montparnasse had only stayed over twice before.

“Ah, but if you have to go soon, I doubt we’ll have time for that.”

“You underestimate me.” Montparnasse drew them in and placed a kiss onto their cheek.

“If you keep this tempo, we won’t be done until tomorrow.”

“We can’t have that now, can we?” He turned them around, crowding Jehan against the counter. “Hop on, I’ll show you a good time.”

Half an hour later, the mess was cleaned up, Montparnasse’s hair was styled again and Jehan snuggled their cat while pouring boiling water into their tea mug. While the orgasm had been just as incredible as always, something had been off. Jehan wasn’t certain yet but they suspected, much to their dismay, that it had something to do with the ominous phone call they’d overheard. Shit. Casual had always worked before, what the fuck was wrong now? Maybe they’d just misheard something. God, why did they even bother so much? They were non-defined fuckbuddies. Maybe not even that. Could you be fuckbuddies if you weren’t even buddies?

Jehan decided to not waste any more energy on it – surely it would all resolve itself sometime soon. But that time didn’t come, at least not within the next two months. Jehan overheard more and more hushed calls in the mornings. It was a strange situation because Montparnasse seemed more secretive than ever but simultaneously booty-called Jehan more often than ever before. Whenever Jehan called him, Montparnasse would come but leave just as quickly again.

It was, altogether, not to Jehan’s satisfaction. The sex was still great and they still deeply enjoyed Montparnasse’s company but… somehow, they felt off. Something wasn’t quite right and Jehan was too mature and too clever to stay in a weird relationship like that.

[Jehan] hey, wanna come over this evening?

[Montparnasse] sure. Got a thing first, I can be there by shortly after midnight?

[Jehan] works for me see you then

[Montparnasse] everything alright? You text like smth is off. I can rearrange and be there earlier

[Jehan] no it’s all good see you later

Jehan knew this was cowardly. They didn’t think they’d worried Montparnasse – were even in the position to have that sort of power – but they knew Montparnasse knew them well enough to tell if something was wrong. At least this way it wouldn’t all come as a surprise.

Just before midnight, Montparnasse arrived. He immediately tucked a curl behind Jehan’s ear and kissed them softly. “What do you need tonight? We can take our time, I cancelled my plans for the morning.”

Jehan sighed. Shit. Were they really going to do this? Maybe some sex first or would that just prolong the inevitable?

“We need to talk.”

“Alright. Should I make some tea?” Montparnasse took off his jacket and threw it over the sofa.

“No, I don’t want tea. Parnasse, we… we should end this. Break off his arrangement we have.”

Montparnasse cocked his head, narrowed his eyes and mustered Jehan for a moment. “Alright.” He grabbed his jacket again and slipped it on. “Could you make sure to delete my number? Can’t run the risk of too many people having my number, especially people I’m not affiliated with.”

The smile on his lips practically froze Jehan’s blood. He’d never seen such cruelty on Montparnasse’s face.

“Delete it yourself.” Jehan handed him their phone, watching with a twisted stomach as Montparnasse deleted his own number – and their WhatsApp chat for good measure.

“Done and over with.” Montparnasse handed them back their phone before turning on his heel and leaving.

“Shit.” Jehan exhaled heavily and let themself fall onto the sofa. “Fucking shit.”

They stared at their phone for what felt like an eternity before chucking it halfway across the room. Not that that would solve any problems but at least the first wave of anger had found an outlet. Jehan pushed off the sofa and collected their phone again. Screen cracked, of course.

[Jehan] can u come over??? Shit happened

[Grantaire] omw pumpkin ♥♥♥

Ten minutes later, Grantaire was curled up in Jehan’s bed with them, striking their hair softly.

“I was so fucking stupid.”

“You did the right thing by ending something you were not happy with.”

“But it was a good thing. God, the sex was so incredible. He can do things with his tongue I never knew a tongue could even do! He was attentive and kind but also incredibly distracted after sex. As if I were a dirty little secret and he couldn’t wait to get back to his actual partner.”

“I’m sure that wasn’t the case, Jehan. Everyone should count themselves lucky to be with you.”

Jehan snorted. “I’m sure he has someone else. Why wouldn’t he just end it then? Would be the easiest thing for both of us. Just be fucking honest.”

“He’s a con artist. I’m not sure he even knows the meaning of the word honesty.”

“You’re doing him wrong. He… he’s a criminal, yes, but he’s never, like, killed anyone or physically harmed someone – intentionally.”

“What a saint.”

Jehan laughed softly and gently shoved Grantaire. “Idiot.”

“Sorry, just my opinion. You’re allowed to mope for two weeks, then I’m taking you out to party.”

Said and done. Jehan moped for two weeks before declaring that they needed to get over it – and over Montparnasse – by drinking heavily and dancing their life away. It was nice to properly be out and about again. Maybe they’d even look for a cute boy to take home or to a back alley. It ended up being a slightly dirty stall in the restroom.

Their plan worked out for about two months until it all came crashing down. Even a good quickie couldn’t quell the desire Jehan had still burning for Montparnasse. It was unfair, really. By now Jehan wasn’t even sure why they’d broken it off in the first place. Insecurities, yes, but giving up incredible sex and a generally good thing? That had been so stupid. So they stopped. Stopped going out again, stopped sleeping around, started moping again. Yet they prided themself on never asking Éponine for Montparnasse’s number. At least they still had some dignity.

That was until Jehan walked home from Grantaire’s place one night, taking a detour along the Seine to watch the approaching sunrise. Barely visible on the horizon, Jehan still decided it was one of the most beautiful sights in a while. There was a cruel voice in the back of his mind, always whispering a ‘what if’ – what if you could share this with Montparnasse, what if you’d kept your mouth shut, what if something had happened to Montparnasse and you’d never know?

At first, Jehan didn’t notice. The sky was just tinted with soft light when someone took a seat on the bench next to them.

“Claquesous”, Jehan said as a way of greeting.

“Prouvaire,” Claquesous mumbled. He kept quiet after that, for a short while, before he spoke again: “I don’t know what happened between you and Montparnasse but I hope you regret it. He’s changed, since. He’s focused, determined but not in a good way. More in a reckless, ruthless way. As if he wouldn’t care anymore.”

“Care about what?”

Claquesous shrugged his shoulders. “Everything. Nearly cut off his finger making dinner for the kids the other night.”

The kids – Babet’s twins were turning two soon and the Patron-Minette took turns watching them when the rest was out and about after Babet’s partner had left him and the babies. Jehan had even looked after them for an evening, back when everything was still very new between them and Montparnasse.

“How are the kids?”

“Good, they’re good. Real good. I think Babet’s been trying to get a little more settled for them so we’re trying to help.”

Jehan hummed softly and smiled. “Good. Kids need some stability, as much as you can give. I know you’re all doing a good job.”

“We could’ve used your help,” Claquesous said, gently bumping his leg against Jehan’s. “Why’d you break it off?”

“He had someone else but didn’t even have the guts to tell me about them.”

Next to them, Claquesous made a curious sound and finally turned towards Jehan. “He what now? He… not to my knowledge. And I know everything, from his morning routine to the way you eat ass.”

“I overheard him having a phone conversation, telling the person he likes them more than anticipated.”

“That was… have you actually talked to him about it?”

Jehan shook their head. “Nope. Didn’t seem worth the effort. I just thought it was weird that he was never honest with me. I would’ve understood.”

“Would you care to talk to him about it? I think you should. In fact, I will call him right now and ask him here. If that’s okay for you.”

“I…” Jehan furrowed their brows. “I guess we should probably talk, yeah.”

Claquesous nodded and quickly called Montparnasse, asking him to pick him up. By the time Parnasse arrived, the sun had risen a bit more, basking the Seine in a golden light. Once Montparnasse saw Jehan, he stopped dead in his tracks and narrowed his eyes.

“Is this a set-up?”

“Sorta.” Claquesous got up from the bench he’d been sharing with Jehan. “Did you know Jehan broke up with you cause he overheard you have a phone call with your lover?” He clasped Montparnasse’s shoulder and took a bow. “Jehan, it was my pleasure.”

“Take care,” Jehan smiled, watching Claquesous retreat into the grey shadows.

“So… uhm…” Montparnasse kicked away a stone, still standing a few feet apart from Jehan. “A phone call?”

“Uhu. You told them you’ve liked them for awhile now and then you lied to me about who had called. It was weird after that. You always left quickly after sex or practically complimented me out of our apartment. You were a lot more secretive than before. I just…” Jehan groaned in frustration and took a deep breath. “I just don’t get why you weren’t honest with me. It’s not like we were exclusive. We were nothing, of course you could’ve had a partner and I would’ve stepped aside.”

“We were nothing? You’re seriously sitting there, telling me to my face that we were nothing, that we weren’t exclusive, that you fucked other people?” Montparnasse was practically growling, not quite shouting but definitely agitated.

“I didn’t fuck anyone else while I was with you. We never labelled it. When we went into it, you said you don’t do relationships. What the fuck was I gonna do? Go up to you, be like ‘hey I overheard you talking to someone you obviously like please don’t fucking leave me’?”

“Maybe you should’ve done that because then I could’ve told you that I was practicing with Babet. He was pretending to be you so I could finally get the words out. But here we are now. I didn’t know you heard. I was busting my ass to work more so I could take you on a trip. You’ve always wanted to go to Greece. That’s why I was always late, why I was running so many errands.”

“Then why didn’t you fight?” Jehan got up from the bench and approached Montparnasse cautiously. “When I broke it off, why didn’t you fight?”

“Cause I’d already lost you and didn’t want to lose my dignity, too.”

“And how do you feel now?”

“Does it matter? You clearly didn’t deem me important enough to talk to me.”

“You didn’t deem me important enough to fight for me.”

Montparnasse sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I hate that you can still do this to me. I hate that you can still make me weak in the knees. It gives you too much power.”

Jehan snorted and shook their head. “I hate that I sometimes wake up at night because I thought I heard you knock on my window. I hate that I still keep your favourite brand of coffee in my flat. As if you’d come back anytime to drink it in the morning.”

“I’ve liked you for a while now,” Montparnasse confessed. “And I’d like to have you back in my life but I get if you’ve moved on.”

“I wish I had. I couldn’t, no matter what I tried. You were in the back of my mind always, like a spirit, a presence, an apparition. The What If, the grand wonder of my life.”

Montparnasse closed the distance even further, running his knuckles softly along Jehan’s cheek. Jehan grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket, pulling him in for their first kiss in months. A soft moan slipped past their lips at the contact, their hand finding its way quickly under Montparnasse’s shirt. Montparnasse was the first to break the kiss.

“I want this, but I want it steady. And I know that my line of work is questionable at best but… maybe there’s still a chance for us.”

“I can deal with it,” Jehan smiled. “Steady sounds good to me. Care to join me and warm up my bed?”


End file.
